Marvel: Evolution
by Lonewolf3002
Summary: Hey, Guys! Technically speaking, this is my first story, though I put it up and took it down again for some editing. Continuation of X-Men: Evolution, starting from the end of Season 4! Enjoy, and don't forget to rate and review!
1. Prologue - the Dust Settles

_**Prologue – The Dust Settles**_

Katherine "Kitty" Anne Pryde sat quietly, leaning back into her leather seat as the engines of the S.H.I.E.L.D Helicopter that she sat in began to start up. Her hair was still in the long ponytail that had become her trademark, falling down to the middle of her back with a few strands framing her face. Her baby blue eyes were slightly wet with tears as she remembered the events of only the last few hours.

She had taken this helicopter to Mexico, along with several other young mutants, to be a part in saving the world from the mutant known as Apocalypse. There was Sunspot, Havok, The Scarlet Witch, Angel, and herself, going up against the Mutant Master of Magnetism, Magneto. She was knocked out during the fight, clipped by a piece of Sentinel debris that hit her square in the back. As her mind faded from consciousness, she thought with a level of horror that she might die, here and now, years before she was supposed to because she did what was right.

Suddenly, though, she felt the ground shake. It was too concentrated to be a natural earthquake, but too strong to be a simple tremor. As she stirred from the feeling, looking up ever so slightly, she heard the loud grunt that usually came with such a tremor before looking at the boy she knew was in front of her, her boyfriend for a couple of months and the boy she shattered with only four words.

Lance Alvers, AKA Avalanche

When she first met the older orphan boy in their old town of Northbrook, Illinois, it was a complete chance of fate. She had just discovered her "phasing" ability to pass through solid objects the previous night, and had just begun to get used to using it. Some jerks from their old school pushed her into her locker, making her panic as he realized that she was locked in. Coincidentally, Lance was passing by as well and was using spray paint to paint graffiti on the lockers. Naturally, she tried harder to break out when she heard him and accidentally phased, falling through the locker and right into Lance.

She grinned as she remembered the first time she saw him, with a streak of red paint across his face and eyes wide as he first saw her. He was a kid from the rough side of the tracks, defiantly, with torn jeans and a brunet mullet. Even still, there was an odd sort of attraction to him. His chocolate brown eyes had warmth there, inviting her in as if actually pulling her along. His brown hair was thick and just a bit messy, looking rough and tangled and just begging for her to run her hands through it. He was unquestionably older and taller, maybe sixteen or seventeen, and stood a good foot over her. His baggy black shirt couldn't hide everything that was underneath, either, and she could see faintly the sharp outlines of his muscles on his abdomen and chest. He revealed that he was also a mutant soon after, being able to create earthquakes and tremors, and told her that he could help her control her abilities.

Despite her fears, she played along only to be used for the rough orphan's own personal ends. Soon after, she moved to Bayville, New York and enrolled in the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters before learning that Lance had enrolled with the school's rivals, the Brotherhood of Bayville. They constantly fought against each other, with the Brotherhood making a mess and the Xavier Institute's students, called the X-Men, picking up the pieces. Despite this, her and Lance inevitably grew closer.

Kitty turned her head, looking out the window of the helicopter as memories of the two of them flowed through her brain.

She remembered her and Lance together in chemistry class, learning how to make a stink bomb. It ended up blowing up in their face quite literally, and she ended up with its unattractive odour no matter how many showers she took. Lance didn't seem to mind, though, and still hung around her. Although, it could've just been the fact that he stinked, too.

Then there was the first time he saved her life, at a school soccer game when the Brotherhood announced the existence of mutants. While the X-Men and the Brotherhood fought afterward, Kitty was trying to save innocent bystanders. The golden-coloured hawk statue that served as their school mascot was lodged into another building during the fight, and was beginning to get loose and fall right on top of her. Just as it began to fall, Lance abandoned his fight with Scott and pushed her out of the way, getting pinned and nearly crushed by the statue in the process. She phased him out from underneath, of course, but she was still pretty shocked that he'd do that for her. They ended up dating soon after.

Later after that, Lance even abandoned the Brotherhood and joined the X-Men for her. She remembered how he looked in his New Recruit uniform, and how he would cause trouble with the other New Recruits. She smiled as she remembered their Water Safety class, how he dove in and pushed Samuel Guthrie AKA Cannonball out of the way, just to "save" her when he was supposed to "save" Rogue. He got a mouthful from Scott about how he "drowned" two people, and his only reply was: "Yeah, but look who I rescued!" Kitty also found out about Lance's fear of flying, based off of his ability to cause tremors, and the look on his face when he found out she knew. Although he ended up leaving the X-Men because of his rivalry with Scott, she gave him a kiss on the cheek for his effort and they left on good terms.

And then there was the Sadie Hawkins Dance, their first and only official dance together. She smiled warmly as she remembered Lance in his dress shirt and suit, the first few buttons unfastened. His hair was in its usual mullet, and he wore a nice set of dress shoes that actually looked like they were shined. She herself wore a dark blue dress with a purple necklace and earrings. Her hair was up in a fancy bun that looked like it took forever to do, and she wore high-heels that were the same blue as her dress. Granted, creatures that came from the dimension Kurt travels through when he teleports ruined the entire dance, but it was fun while it lasted.

And lastly, the worst memory of all, she remembered the night that he betrayed her, and that she shattered his heart in return. They were still in a fight after Mystique blew the institute, so they hadn't really talked again after that night. Even then, she could tell that the confrontation hit him hard and although he wasn't outright rude to her, he was obviously still upset.

Kitty rubbed her eyes as she remembered that night. She had spent many nights afterward crying over it, and hadn't spoken to Lance since until she asked for his help in fighting Magneto. After what happened, she wasn't surprised that he refused at first. She wasn't even that angry with what he said or did, but more about what **she** said. She saw the conditions they were living in and she heard how they all had to live with Pietro in charge. She honestly trusted Lance enough to know that he wouldn't want to attack her and the X-Men, and that there had to be an ulterior motive. What she said to him, on the other hand, was inexcusable. It kept echoing in her mind along with the fresh pain of regret every time she thought of him.

"_This is the real you, isn't it! You're nothing but a hood!"_

"_I don't even know why I said it!" _Kitty thought sadly. _"Even if I said the first thing I thought of, I never would've snooped that low! It's like 'What the hell's going on' was lost halfway to my mouth!"_

"Kitty?"

Kitty turned sharply to see Lance. His warm brown eyes looked slightly bloodshot, but not too noticeable. His brunet hair was in its usual messy mullet, and his was still clothed in his Brotherhood uniform. His self-fashioned Avalanche costume was red and black, reinforced with steel on the chest area and the shoulders. His helmet was tucked under one arm, its transparent plastic making it seem more like a fruit bowl than a helmet. The battle uniform was skin-tight, leaving very little to the imagination as she saw his toned abdomen and biceps through the clothing.

"Hey..." Kitty said with a sigh, looking back out the window while Lance sat across from her.

"Hey..." He said quietly, looking down as he sat.

There were a couple of minutes of silence, each trying to compose their thoughts and figuring out the best things to say to the other.

"So how do we do this?" Lance asked, still looking down

"I dunno..." Kitty admitted with an embarrassed smile. "I usually focused on my grades back in Northbrook, and my parents were never really thrilled with the idea of me dating. Just being overprotective, I guess..."

"They sound like good parents..." Lance said quietly.

They stayed silent for another couple of minutes, trying to figure out their next moves. It was if the entire conversation was a minefield, with one false move threatening to blow the entire conversation up.

"I'm sorry..." Kitty whispered, turning to Lance with glassy eyes.

"What?" He asked with a chuckle.

"I said I'm sorry!" She said a little louder, tears running down her face as she looked at him more intensely. "I'm so sorry, Lance! I said something completely mean that night in the parking lot, and I totally regret it! I don't even know why I said it, y'know? I'd never stooped that low, even if I did say the first thing in my head! I-I was just so mad and I was stupid and I-I-"

"Kitty, I tried to get you and your friends _expelled_..." He said. "I know why you did it, and I get that you were mad. If it were me, I'd be pretty ticked off, too..."

"Why did you do it, Lance?" She asked. "Try to get us expelled, I mean? Mystique didn't give you the orders because she was in Area 51, and teaming up with _Duncan Matthews, _of all people..."

"I know..." He said, visibly grimacing. "I-I was against it at first. As much as I hate Summers, I wasn't really out for revenge. Mystique wasn't a really good boss to work for when she was mad, so I guess Summers kinda did me a favour. I understand why he did it, too, cause she blew up the mansion, so it was justifiable..."

"Yeah?" Kitty prompted. "So what changed?"

"Mathews offered us cash…" Lance said, looking ashamed. "Y'see, I didn't talk 'bout it much, but Mystique usually paid the bills as long as we followed through with her plans. It wasn't much, but it put food on the table, y'know? So, when Summers trapped her in Area 51..."

"Oh my God..." Kitty said with a gasp. "Lance, I'm _so _sorry... I never could've guessed-"

"It's not your fault..." He said quietly. "Back when he trapped her, I wouldn't have complained if it wasn't for the fact that she took care of the groceries. None of us has SSNs, so we couldn't get jobs to try starting over. I tried to warn you about when they first used Wanda at the mall, but I honestly didn't know she'd blow up the mansion. From what little she told us, she was counting on everyone being locked _outside_ the mansion, not having the New Recruits locked _inside_ it. Even then, I had to side with her …"

"Why didn't you stay at the institute?" She asked. "The Professor would be fine with it, I think..."

"Remember the last time I tried staying over there?" He asked. "I was still too big a change for them, let alone putting up with the others. They'd rather starve than team up with the 'enemy' anyways and I'm sure that Kelly would've found another way to get at ya if we just said no..." Lance frowned. "Kelly, that rat bastard... and to think that people might be voting for that bastard as our mayor, too..."

"Kelly..." Kitty whispered irritably. "He tried to have you do his dirty work through Duncan, and then got you expelled because we couldn't be. So you really didn't want to do it?"

"Of course not!" He said sincerely. "School's pretty much the only time I get to see you, except when we're fighting, and the night we broke up in that parking lot…It was a real nightmare for me too, Kitty. I'd never want either of us to go through that kinda hurt. I only did it because we really needed the cash..."

Lance smiled sheepishly. "...And to see Summers get his ass handed to him..."

"Lance Alvers!" She screeched playfully with a smile. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Forgive me?" He whispered hopefully. "The past few weeks have been hell, and I can't stand ya being mad at me..."

"You're forgiven" She said with a bright smile, rubbing his cheek with a hand as she rested her head on his shoulder. "You just did the wrong thing for the right reasons. I still don't get why you helped us after brushing me off, though..."

"Magneto and Mystique are cruel enough when they're _themselves, _let alone when they're possessed..." Lance said. "I realized that I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if you got hurt..."

"Lance..." She whispered, stroking his cheek. "I'm like, really sorry, y'know? I totally should've gotten the full story before like, giving you the cold shoulder. I mean, you _did _warn me about Wanda and I know you wouldn't try to kill the New Recruits after spending time with them when you were at the mansion. Not to mention, the entire thing with Duncan…I'd never expect you to starve yourself _or _the rest of the Brotherhood for me. I really shouldn't have jumped on your case when it happened..."

"It's okay, Pretty Kitty..." He said. "You were mad for a good reason, and you didn't really have a lot to go on. There wasn't any reason you should've known why we did it."

She grinned. "Speaking of New Recruits, Jamie misses you a lot, ya know?" Kitty whispered quietly. "I think that you're the only one who doesn't treat him like a baby."

"He's a good kid..." Lance said, stroking her hair lightly. "I never had a little brother, but it's cool that he looks up to me and stuff. He actually reminded me of myself when I was little."

"You better be careful, though." She whispered playfully with a giggle. "He tried asking me out to that Descanso Rivets concert just before Rogue had her power surge. He got a tux from Roberto, a corsage, everything. I think he was getting hopeful when we broke up..."

"Well then _he_ better look out..." He growled back, only half-kidding. "Nobody moves in on my girl, even when we do break up for a while..."

Kitty smiled, nodding before turning serious again. "So, what happens now? I mean, we're still enemies, I guess, and I don't think that it'll work as long as we are. Magneto and Mystique will be back, you'll have to fight us, and we'll just end up breaking up again. Is it really worth it?"

"I don't know, Kitty…" He said with a shake of his head. "All I know is that I like you more than I ever liked anyone and that I'd love a second chance with you. I never expected to need you so badly... "

"I guess that's my answer..." She said with a smirk, kissing his cheek and hugging him desperately. "I'm so sorry, Lance. I know I'm like, totally sounding like a broken record, but I don't know what else to say, y'know? I'm just really sorry..."

"It's okay, Pretty Kitty..." He said with a smirk "You know I can't be mad at the valley-girl from back home for long..."

"Damn it..." She muttered into his chest. "I can't believe I, like, totally started speaking like that again. I haven't used a misplaced 'like' or 'totally' for months, and it all comes crashing down within minutes..."

"It's alright, Pretty Kitty..." He said, leaning close. "Besides, I think it's pretty cute..."

Kitty blushed. "Like...Thanks. And Lance?"

"Yeah?" He asked.

"You're not a hood..." She said with a sad grin. "I'm so sorry I said that..."

"Kitty..."

"And you are good enough for me..." She continued, hugging him tightly. "I missed you so much..."

"I missed you too, Pretty Kitty..." He whispered, kissing her forehead as his arms wrapped around her small body.

They sat there for a few minutes, simply registering the words just exchanged before Kitty suddenly spoke up.

"Hey, y'know what?" She suddenly said, looking around. "It's, like, pretty convenient that we got paired in the same chopper without anyone else, y'know? I mean, no one else is here to bother us or complain..."

"Uh...yeah..." He said, not looking at her but shifting his eyes nervously. "This was completely random...no outside influence whatsoever..."

"Oh, really?" She said with a grin and a raised eyebrow as she poked his chest with a delicate finger. "That right there sounded a bit suspicious..."

"Well it worked, didn't it?" He asked with a grin. "I mean, no Summers to lecture us, no Brotherhood to annoy us..."

Kitty giggled, snuggling in closer to him. "Like, whatever, Lance..."

The two snuggled closer as the helicopter landed along with another in front of the Mansion of Professor Charles Francis Xavier, known better as the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters.

Kurt "Nightcrawler" Szardos Wagner was sitting quietly within his own S.H.I.E.L.D Helicopter, head down and thinking quietly to himself. Beside him was the man known simply as Logan, also known as the X-Man Wolverine, trying to ignore Kurt's obviously distracted mind. The boy known as Scott "Cyclops" Summers was asleep after the major time zone change, and Rogue was similarly asleep on Kurt's shoulder, leaving the two alone to their thoughts.

"Penny for ya're thoughts, Elf?" Logan said with a grin, looking towards the blue, furry mutant. "It looks like it hurts, thinkin' that much"

Kurt looked up, his golden eyes sharp as always. "Ja, Logan" He said, his German accent thicker than usual. "I just have a lot on mien mind..."

"Wanna talk 'bout it?" Logan asked.

"Nien..." Kurt said with a slow shake of his head. "I do not vant to trouble you vith my own problems."

"No trouble with talkin' to someone, Elf..." Logan said, patting his free shoulder with a hand. "This 'bout Half-Pint?"

Kurt closed his eyes, raising his head and sighing in exasperation. Ever since he'd ever laid eyes on the beautiful brunette blue-eyed angel of a teenage girl known as Katherine "Kitty" Anne Pryde, Kurt had done everything he could to at least be near her. They usually followed a routine, Kurt occasionally flirting with her while she complained about his ravenous appetite and his fur-shedding, and they had become good friends, comforting each other, joking with each other, and doing things that a typical best friend would do despite his wishes that it could be more. However Kitty had fallen for Lance Alvers, unofficial leader of the Institute's rivals, the Brotherhood of Mutants, and code-named Avalanche after his ability to cause tremors and earthquakes. As much as Kurt hated to admit it, Lance seemed to genuinely care for Kitty and she seemed really happy with him. He also reasoned that Kitty would never see him beyond a best friend after how she first reacted to the _real _him, and he couldn't bear to lose her completely in his life. It would be better for him just to guarantee that he wouldn't lose her, even if she was strictly a good friend to him.

So Kurt tried to move on, take his mind off of her by finding other girls and convince himself that it was best that they weren't dating. It was difficult and it hurt like hell for him to pull it off, but he eventually found other girls he could relate to. He was first attracted to the Institute's wild child, Tabitha Smith, AKA Boom-Boom, because they were both pranksters. They went to a carnival in Bayville together despite being grounded, until her father's criminal activities caused her to leave the institute and join the Brotherhood. Then he started to date another person he liked, Amanda Stefton, who was a normal human from Bayville High. Despite knowing what he really looked like, Amanda was brave enough to ask him to the Sadie Hawkins dance and they'd been a couple ever since. Even after her parents banded Kurt from seeing her after the fiasco at her house involving Todd Tolensky, AKA Toad, she snuck out and dated him behind their backs. He didn't know why, but there was something very familiar about Amanda, something he couldn't quite place.

Kurt would admit that he _did _like Tabitha and that _does _like Amanda in a romantic way, but that he was still head-over-heels for the girl who can walk through walls the entire time. And now, everything was just so complicated. In his attempts to let Kitty be with her "Prince Charming", Kurt had started dating the wrong girl and so when Kitty and Lance broke up, he couldn't bear to confess that he was using another girl. After S.H.I.E.L.D communications sent word after the battle that the infamous Brotherhood of Bayville, almost defiantly including Lance, had arrived in Mexico, Kurt feared that his window of opportunity was up. Kitty would forgive Lance and end up with him again, leaving him high and dry.

"Elf?" Logan said, drawing his attention again.

"Vas?" He asked.

"Is. This. About. Kitty?" He repeated, this time slightly more slowly and emphasizing to get the point across. "And pick your words carefully, Elf, 'cause I'll know if you're lyin' to me..."

Kurt sighed. "Ja..." He said, looking over to him. "Ja, it's about Keety"

"Why don't ya just talk to 'er?" He asked. "Y'know, besides the fact that ya got a girl and that she probably got back together with Shakedown back there..."

"Zat's all the reason I need, Logan..."The blue, furry mutant said. "She vants to be vith Lance und she's happy vith him. Zat's all zat matters to me..."

"Ya know it won't work out..." Logan said with a sigh. "Why dontcha' just talk to 'er? It'd spare 'er the heartbreak, and you yare sanity. Not to mention the fact that ya're leading that Amanda girl along..."

"Vhy do you care?" Kurt said, looking up at him. "Shouldn't you be keeping _anyone _from seeing her? Vhy are you encouraging me?"

"It's cause I can smell ya, Elf..." Logan said with a smirk. "Ya aren't like most guys are with 'er. Granted, Shakedown feels somethin' for 'er beyond hormones, but it ain't real, genuine love. You care enough to be content with 'er bein' happy. That shows she'd be happier with you, and that ya care for 'er, so ya might as well give it a shot..."

Kurt sighed. "Sometimes, you have to settle for second best. I have her as a good friend and I von't mess vith a good zing..."

"_Besides..."_ He thought. _"Zere's no proof that they're back together again. She could've just brushed him off, or he might've not even tried to apologize. Anything could've happened..."_

Kurt glanced out the window, grimacing when he looked through the window of the helicopter directly across from him. He could see Kitty, her small body cuddled up to Lance's larger form, seemingly fitting together flush against one another. She was smiling contentedly, her eyes looking upward towards his before shifting down and spotting Kurt's own across from the helicopter she was in. Kitty raised one, slender hand to wave to Kurt with a giggle and Kurt blushed as he waved back. He then simply placed his blue, furry, three-fingered hand on the glass, closing his eyes and wishing it was him she was cuddling with. Only, he knew she'd never like someone who looked like him, with elfish ears, blue fur, disfigured hands and feet, and a _verdamnt _tail...

"_Vhy vould she even consider liking me as more zan a friend..." _He thought sadly to himself. _"...vhen I look like ziz?"_

"I know what you're thinkin', Elf..." Logan said, turning to him. "I gotta say you have the worst self-esteem issues I have ever seen."

"Thanks for zat..." Kurt said with a role of his eyes.

"I'm serious, Kid!" Logan said, leaning over a bit. "I know ya all have folks, but I can't help but feel like you're my own kids sometimes. You're not gunna have the inducer forever, and when ya don't, you won't be able to wear them monk robes like ya did when ya got here. You worry too much about what ya look like and what other people will think if they see the real you."

"Vouldn't you?" Kurt asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm not sayin' I wouldn't, I don't know 'cause I'm not in yare postion..." Logan said. "I'm just sayin' that one of these days, that fancy watch ain't gunna be there to hide ya, and ya're gunna have to live without it"

"I'll cross zat bridge vhen I get zere..." Kurt said with a sigh, turning towards the window again

Professor Charles Francis Xavier sat in his wheelchair within the helicopter, his fingers crossed as his

mind calculated tirelessly. As one of the most powerful telepaths on the planet as well as a source of confidence towards his many students, Charles had learned the potential benefits of keeping secrets from those who would either not know or not understand the risks of such information. He had also known the risks of such sensitive data being unleashed towards the wrong people, as well as the consequences of such. He had learned terrible, almost traumatic events that had transpired without most knowing of it, even during childhood when dealing with his bullying half-brother, Cain.

Charles had never had an inner debate quite like this.

While enslaved by Apocalypse, Charles had been able to use his powers and pierce into Apocalypse's mind. While Apocalypse was an extremely formidable omega-class mutant vastly more powerful than himself, he was not immune to telepathic intrusion, especially if said telepath was linked to him. As a result, Charles had savaged memories from his mind that had practically rewritten every theory on the origin of mutants he had developed, revealing the true origin of Homo Superior. Now, he had an inner debate on whether to remain silent, or to reveal the truth and crush any rights that mutants might have as a naturally-occurring species.

"Professor?"

Charles pushed a small joystick on his wheelchair, turning it around to see one Jean Grey, green eyes shining with concern, red hair neat as always. Charles was particularly concerned also with how Jean's telepathy and telekinesis had evolved so much quicker the past several years. She had even been able to overpower himself during the battle with Apocalypse, admittedly with the assistance of a newly developed wireless Cerebro, and he had even sensed the presence of another entity _within _Jean herself briefly during the fight. Charles secretly knew that Jean was far more powerful than she appeared, but it almost seemed like there was something more than just genetics at work. All this ran through his mind within seconds as he answered her.

"Ah, Jean..." Charles said with a warm smile. "You wish to talk to me about something?"

"I just wanted to let you know that everyone's accounted for." Jean said, sitting down beside him. "The others went in separate copters, but S.H.I.E.L.D personnel count that no-one was lost during the attack. Beast's team will rendezvous with us back at the mansion, as will Kitty's"

"This is good news, though not unexpected..." Charles said, reclasping his hands together. "Apocalypse would not want to spill any mutant blood if he could help it, although he would if pushed too far. He would only want to temporarily eliminate the threat, enough to keep us from stopping him"

"How do you think the media will present this?" Jean asked

"I do not know..." Charles said with a shake of his head. "While we did save humanity from Apocalypse, the crisis was technically created by a mutant itself, though admittedly an ancient one with whose actions we have no control over. This incident can be seen within both a positive and negative light regarding Mutants as a species. We will have to wait to see what happens."

"That's comforting..." Jean said, slumping in her chair. "The world might thank us for saving it, or they might blame it all on mutants anyway"

"You seem tired..." Charles said with a curious look. "I couldn't help but notice the power fuelling your attack during our brief fight. It would certainly be difficult to overpower a telepath such as myself during a telepathic battle."

"I dunno..." Jean said, raising a hand to her forehead. "It felt like...almost like there was something else there helping me during the fight..."

"It's normal for telepaths to feel 'worn out' when they overexert themselves mentally" Charles said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Try not to use your telepathy too much for a couple of days, understood? We wouldn't want you to strain yourself with the effort of using it."

"Alright, Professor..." Jean said, getting up. "I'm gunna go lie down for a bit and clear my head."

"That's a good idea" The Professor said with a nod. "The time zone change has no doubt caused you fatigue. Rest up and we'll be back at the mansion in a few hours"

Jean nodded and left, leaving Charles alone with his thoughts as he looked out the window to see the barren landscape below.

Doctor Henry "Beast" Phillip McCoy sat back in his seat with a small sigh, removing his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose with the thumb and forefinger of his right hand. Despite all the plans, measures and counter-measures that the X-Men and S.H.I.E.L.D. had place, he still hadn't expected to survive once they made it to China. Yet here he was, heading back without any casualties whatsoever in terms of his team, with Storm safely asleep under Spyke's careful watch and the rest simply talking as if nothing happened at all.

"Mister McCoy?"

Hank turned to see one Robert Drake, AKA Iceman, as he walked towards him.

"Ah, Bobby!" Hank said, putting his glasses back on and gesturing for Bobby to sit beside him. "Some fight, eh?"

"Yeah, it was pretty intense..." Bobby said. "I didn't think we'd make it there for a second, to be honest..."

"Neither did I, to tell the truth..." Hank said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I was impressed on how well you performed during the battle. You seem to be getting better control of your abilities every day..."

"Yeah, no more freezing in my sleep..." Bobby said with a grin. "I'm sure Sam's thrilled that I'm not chilling up the room at night..."

"No doubt..." Hank said with a chuckle. "We'll be coming up into United States Airspace any minute now..."

"Finally!" Bobby said with a sigh. "I swear, my sleep schedule will be messed up for weeks now!"

"I'm sure you'll find a way to make it up now, without school..." Hank said, smiling as he activated the communicator fit securely around his ear. "Charles! Are you there?"

"I'm here, Hank." The Professor's voice responded from the communicator. "We report no casualties, and so do the other teams. We'll meet you at the mansion."

"Will do." Beast said, deactivating it. "He's on his way to the mansion."

"So, did you hear from Rahne or Jubes before we left?" Bobby asked, almost too eagerly.

"I'm sorry, Bobby, but I haven't..." Hank said, shaking his head. "I haven't heard from either of them besides the e-mails that young Jubilation has been sending you, and the ones Rahne have been sending to Sam."

Bobby's face twisted into one of disappointment as he looked down at his feet, sighing heavily.

"Don't worry, Bobby..." Hank said, patting his shoulder. "I'm sure both of them will be back..."

"Right…" Bobby said, turning away from him.


	2. Chapter 1 - Cry of the Banshee, Part 1

**Chapter 1 – Cry Of the Banshee, Part 1**

Sean Cassidy had walked down the pedestrian sidewalk, his right hand holding the strap of the backpack strung over his shoulder while his left was at his forehead as he traversed his home city of Belfast. He had red hair, styled in a backswept motion, and his green eyes showed a look of absolute boredom at the moment. It was a particularly windy day in the city, and he struggled slightly as he walked down the street while winds attempted in vain to dislodge his steps. It was another day at school, with decent marks despite every attempt and kids who laughed at him behind his back, not to mention his annoying sister who constantly annoyed him and his dad who seemed to spend each breathing moment drunk ever since his mother walked out on them. Sure, he meant well, but he wasn't going to survive on his own if he's constantly sheltered.

"_This is just great..." _He thought grimly. _"I get caught in the crossfire of a huge food fight, have to serve detention for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and my headaches are getting worse! Yep...just another day, and just before the first day of summer, no less..."_

He shook his head roughly, but groaned almost instantly in response to it. He had been experiencing these headaches ever since turning fifteen, about two years ago, and they had only been getting worse ever since. Doctors had no idea what was causing them, and he really didn't have any idea on how to fix it, so he had to suffer through them.

"Aye, boys! Look what we've got 'ere!"

Sean turned around to see three men surrounding him, all looking a bit unsteady on their feet. Judging by the way they limped and how those who were talking slurred their words, he guessed that they'd been drinking. The one who addressed him appeared to be leading them, a messed up dress shirt and jacket untucked, mostly buttoned up but without a tie. His breath rotted of cigarette smoke and alcohol as he came up to me, uncomfortable close, but his and the others' movements defiantly revealed that they were sober enough to put up a good fight.

"So what's up with you, kid?" He asked with a chuckle. "You a little schoolboy, runnin' to his daddy after a bad day? This is our street, so you gotta pay our fee: five pounds"

"_No way in bloody hell I'm payin' these drunks..." _Sean thought with really no resolve. The Police never really frequented this area, and other by-passers would just assume that he got on the wrong side of some drunks. Nobody would stick around to get pummeled with him even if they guessed that he just had a bad day, and his dad was probably already drunk with his mates down at the house.

Sean always hated drunks, since they always reminded him of dad since his mother left them both.

"Alright..."Sean said, backing up from him and turning around to look at the others surrounding him. " Now, I don't think there's any nee-"

He was cut off when the man hit him with a sharp jab to the back. Sean grunted, kneeling over slightly and coughing from the blow.

"Wrong answer..." He said, kneeling down for his face to be level with his before shouting to the others. "He look like a stinkin' Irish, doesn't he, fellas?"

"We _are _in bloody Ireland, after all..." Sean muttered, which only earned him another jab from the man, this time in the abdomen.

"Don't get smart with me, boy!" The man said. "Now cough up our fee, unless you feel like takin' down a whole lot of pain!"

"It's a public street!" Sean said indignantly. "I'm not paying you anything!"

"I don't think the boys liked that too much, how 'bout you?" The man asked with a snarl, moving in closer and punching him again in the gut. Sean grunted and went down to his knees, using one arm to support himself before getting up again.

"You done, fellas?" Sean asked with a smirk.

"Hell no..." The man said with a grin. "We're just gettin' started!"

"_Damn it!" _Sean thought. _"So much for stayin' out of trouble..."_

"Don't worry, lad!" One said with a bitter laugh as he grabbed Sean from behind, wrapping his arms around his shoulders to keep him from getting away as the first moved in. "There'll still be enough of you to crawl off when we're through!"

Sean was extremely athletic and had seen his share of fights, but fighting some cocky group of kids at school was different from fighting three full grown and drunken men, especially if one already had a dead-locked hold on him and if he had a headache that gave him a major disadvantage. All Sean could do was take the beating as blow after blow struck him seemingly everywhere, preventing himself from suffering any serious injuries. At the end of the fight, he lay on the ground, battered, bloody and bruised as three relatively unharmed men stood over him. The leader walked towards him first, obviously intending to loot the boy for their "fee".

Sean stood up on one knee, spitting blood before crawling away from the thugs. He knew from experience that the thugs weren't going to leave after taking his cash, and that they would probably kill him to prevent a possible tangle with the cops later.

"No..." Sean said weakly, his head pounding louder with the adrenaline rush from the fight. "Go away..."

"Or what?" The third one asked, pulling out a switchblade from the right back pocket of his torn jeans. "You'll run? Besides, your folks won't let this go, so we gotta take care of ya...permanently..."

"Leave me alone...He said a little louder, standing up completely before continuing his slow retreat with both hands holding his head.

"Nah..." The second one said with a grin as he pulled out his own thick switchblade, stalking towards him. "His old man's probably drunk as hell to care what happens to 'em, though it ain't eliminatin' the entertainment value..."

Sean got angry now. The throbbing within his skull began building and building as if he was about to explode from the inside. Some kind of stored energy suddenly built up internally from the amount of stress that he'd experienced, and his eyes began to glow bright green and silver as his latent abilities were suddenly unlocked.

"I said..." He almost yelled, stopping them dead in their tracks as he screamed with a decibal-piercing voice: "_**Leave Me Alone!"**_

Everything collapsed into darkness, and Sean only heard explosions and agonizing screams before his consciousness faded.

_Now Playing: William Anderson – X-Men: Evolution Theme Song_

Professor Charles Francis Xavier closed his eyes in concentration as he focused through the telepathy-amplifying device known as Cerebro, a thin line of perspiration resting just above his brow as he probed. Ever since Apocalypse had been defeated weeks before, the number of mutants on Earth had increased exponentially, no longer only representing a small fraction of humanity, but an entire huge chunk of the human population. It had been increasingly difficult for Charles to keep track of all of them, being nearly impossible without more enhancements to the amplifier, and he estimated that nearly 23.7 percent of the sentient population on Earth were mutants.

Finally, Charles sensed one exceptionally powerful mutant, concentrating slightly more to identify it. It seemed raw, almost fierce, and met with sheer terror of its power. Within it registered thousands of screams suddenly silenced, until there was nothing but its devastating roar.

"**Exceptional Mutant signature detected; Partially-Developed, High risk alert"**

Charles ceased concentrating and looked up as the once empty dome in front of him was filled with a model and different kinds of data on this one mutant. He had red hair styled in a backswept motion, and he possessed deep green eyes. Charles turned his attention to the data displayed beside the model, studying it with his own calculating eyes.

"**Extrapolation Complete, Identity Confirmed. Loading...**

**Name: **Sean Cassidy

**Age: **Sixteen

**Residence: **Belfast, Ireland

**Abilities:** Quasi-sonic

voice, Particle-based

sound wave generation

and audiokinesis."

Charles pressed a button on the console in front of him, and another display came up.

"**Specifics: **Speech center of Mutant's brain generates an unrecognized particle, which generates and interacts with ambient sound waves according to his mental control. When speaking, these sound waves generate an intense force based off of the particle interaction, currently extending into an approximate area of 50 square miles in all directions. General effects of matter struck are: severe disintegration on inanimate matter, and intense liquidation of organic substances. At the emergence of his powers, these unrecognized particles have also erected an anti-sonic shield which prevents his own sonic abilities from affecting him. Possible latent abilities specifically include: supersonic/hypersonic flight, defensive sonic shields, sonic amplification (in order to hear sounds over vast distances), and a unique variant of sonar navigation, based off of advanced SONAR and echolocation.

**Warning! **This Mutant's X-Gene is currently underdeveloped and has been triggered prematurely. Ability limits may increase or decrease dramatically overtime in direct contrast to these readings, or other abilities may surface.

**Official classification:** Omega-Class specimen of Human Mutant (_Homo Sapiens Superior)_"

Charles knitted his hands together in thought, resting his chin on them as he pondered. Ever since Mutants have surfaced to the attention of ordinary human beings, they have seemed to grow, not only in number, but in power. More mutants of higher class were being born, with more devastating abilities. This was, granted, an evolutionary spike in power, but other existing mutants were gradually increasing in what they could do with their powers, as well.

"**Mutant signature detected: Fully Dormant; Moderate risk alert"**

Charles looked up to see a similar young girl with long red hair and piercing green eyes, along with a heavy amount of freckles dusting her face.

"**Extrapolation Complete, Identity Confirmed. Loading...**

**Name: **Theresa "Tess" Maeve Rourke Cassidy

**Age: **Thirteen

**Residence: **Belfast, Ireland...

The screen suddenly began to fizz and slightly fade.

**Warning! **Unknown particles are interfering with the scanning process of CEREBO UNIT MARK III - Current readings are therefore incomplete and possibly corrupted. Rerouting...

Charles sighed as he drew a finger to each side of his temples and sent a telepathic summons to Hank.

"_Hank!" _Charles called out to him telepathically

"_Charles!" _Hank's usually cool and collected thoughts seemed to be more upset, even devastated. _"I was just about to contact you!"_

"_I've found a considerably powerful mutant which we will need to intercept..." _Charles said telepathically. _I was wondering if you had anything on a 'Sean Cassidy' already"_

"_I'm afraid not..." _Hank replied. _"Actually, I just received reports that there was a massive explosion in Belfast, Ireland, caused by a particle disturbance that levelled several city blocks. The Authorities are thinking that it's the IRA but, judging from the damage, I would say it was a mutant's work..."_

"_The mutant I've tracked is currently in Belfast, and possesses a Quasi-Sonic voice" _Charles said. _"I think that may have been the cause of the explosion. I'll transmit the data to you, but I need you to categorize and compress it. Then, meet me with the rest of the X-Men in the planning room with the data, to present it to the full team"_

"_Yes, Charles..." _Hank said. _"I'll speak with you shortly"_

"Surprise, Kitty!"

Katherine "Kitty" Anne Pryde squealed as one Kurt Szardos Wagner pounced on her, mercilessly brushing his furry three-fingered hands against her in places that only he knew were made for tickling her. She giggled and squirmed as she tried to get away, not thinking of phasing due to the constant distraction. The book that she was reading fell to the ground beside the couch she was currently on as her back pushed against the side of the couch's armrest, trapped between it and the fuzzy blue teenager that she considered her best friend.

"Kurt!" She squealed, trying to crawl off the couch and get away. "Knock it off!"

"Hmmm..." He said in mock thought, now using his tail to tickle her as well as his hands. "Nope, I don't zink so..."

"Kurt!" She wined. "Quit it! I seriously can't breathe!"

"Sorry, sorry..." He said breathlessly, rolling off of her onto the ground before looking back at her. "You okay?"

"I'm fine..." She said, breathing heavily as she patted his head from her spot on the couch. "I just need a breather, y'know?"

"You're losing your touch..." He teased, earning a playful wack from the girl above him.

"Am not!" She said with a giggle, pretending to be upset. "You die if you joke about my age, you hear me, Fuzzy?"

Kurt smiled. Ever since the X-Men killed or at least defeated Apocalypse two days ago, everything seemed to go right for the first time in months. Mutant persecution had died down, though not completely eliminated after the Apocalypse battle, and Kelly's anti-mutant campaign was extremely weakened with lack of voters. Scott and Jean were now officially dating, and were spending all the time they could together before Jean went to Empire State University in New York while Evan decided to stay with the Morlocks and help them out with surviving in the sewers underneath Bayville. The Professor was busier than ever, spending more and more time in Cerebro, and the New Recruits were mostly unaffected. Logan was unsurprisingly unaffected from the X-Men's toughest battle yet, since he had been though battles before that he didn't even remember now and Storm had changed little after coming to piece with her nephew's choice to stay with the Morlocks. Granted, Storm was a little unnerved now that it was all over, but who could blame her after being technologically possessed?

That just left himself and Kitty.

"Fuzzy?"

Kurt looked up, seeing two pretty blue eyes look down to him with a hint of concern, only to suddenly be lost in them before regaining his bearings.

"Ja?" He asked.

"You alright?" Kitty asked with an unsure smile. "You kinda zoned out there, and I was worried for a second."

"I'm okay..." He said with small smile. "Just zinking..."

"What about?" She asked, flipping over on her stomach while her chin rested in the middle of her crossed arms.

"It doesn't matter..." He said with a wave of his hand. "It was just me zinking, zat's all..."

"Oh c'mon, Kurt..." She pleaded, nudging him gently with an elbow. "We barely ever just talk anymore, since I started dating Lance again and you started dating Amanda. I'm really starting to miss just hanging out, y'know?"

"It's just about vhat's changed recently..." He said dismissively. "It's just that everyzing seems right, all of a sudden..."

"I know..." She said, looking around with a slightly amazed look. "I mean, Mystique's still outta the picture and Magneto disappeared right after the fight. We don't have to even worry about School until it starts again in September, so it's nice that we just get to unwind these couple of months..."

"Vhatcha doing tonight?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. "We can get a head start on movie night, if you vant..."

Kitty laughed, and Kurt vaguely thought that he never heard anything more beautiful

"Tempting, but I got a date...with...Lance?" Her voice trailed off as she saw Kurt's grimace, and nudged him.

"C'mon!" She insisted. "At least give him a chance! Your opinion means the world to me, but you didn't even give him _that_ last time he tried being friendly, y'know?"

"I don't know..." He muttered. "He did still nearly kill us, even vith Mystique out of ze picture..."

"You _know _he didn't want that, Fuzzy!" She said, tugging at his arm lightly. "I told you Duncan offered him money, and that the Brotherhood had been really struggling with the bills without Mystique. Plus, Kelly was in on it! Why would he attack us without any reason whatsoever? I mean, sure, Scott trapped Mystique in Area 51, but that can't be the _only _reason, y'know? Besides, you got a girlfriend and you don't ever see _me_ criticizing_ her_!"

"Amanda's not part of ze Brotherhood and she hasn't tried to kill me yet..." Kurt said, crossing his arms defiantly. "Besides, ze rest of ze X-Men approve of her. On zat note, I still don't like him."

"Okay, bad example..."She conceded quietly. "Kurt, I get what's he's done and I don't agree with it either, but he's not a bad guy! He's just gone with a bad crowd that he's used to, and sees things differently than us. Besides, he's always had another motive in attacking us, whether it is orders from Mystique, Magneto or something else."

"You don't give up on anyone, do you?" He said with a grin.

"Please, Kurt?" She pleaded. "It would mean a lot to me if you tried getting along with him. Please?"

Kurt glanced up to her, but instantly regretted it.

For someone named Kitty, she made a hell of a puppy-dog face. She sat up and put her hands together in a joint begging fist, her big blue eyes widening in a way only she could. He was about to turn away when her bottom lip began to flutter before pouting, making it seem that she was about to burst into tears. Finally, she began to make a small wining noise that actually sounded identical to a sad, cute little puppy's whine.

"_Verdammt..." _Kurt thought. _"Kitty just has to give me zat look..."_

"Fine, alright!" Kurt conceded, looking down. "I...I guess I could try..."

"Thanks, Fuzzy Elf..." She said, rubbing the fur on his cheek. "I know he's pretty hot-tempered, but he's really nice when he's not pushed, y'know? He just doesn't like Scott, that's all..."

"Speaking of vhich, vhere is our 'fearless leader?'" Kurt asked, lying back down on the floor.

"With Jean, I think..." Kitty said, shifting a bit. "They headed out to Lookout Point a couple minutes ago. Rogue's reading in our room, Bobby's probably walking through the mansion, the New Recruits are probably keeping themselves busy in the Rec. Room or outside. I dunno about anyone else..."

"_My X-Men!" _Professor X 'said' telepathically, almost yelling it into their minds. _"There's been an emergency! It is top priority that you prepare yourselves and meet me in the War Room immediately!"_

Kitty and Kurt looked at each other nervously. It was a rare day when the Professor assigned a task at top-priority, especially considering the past few weeks. With Apocalypse gone, the X-Men had nothing exceptionally dangerous to deal with. Mystique had disappeared shortly after the battle, and Magneto had also seemingly vanished before authorities could take him into custody. While they didn't think either the Master of Magnetism or the shape shifter was finished with them, there hadn't had any sign of them for days.

"Whattaya think's happening?" She asked, looking towards her friend with a worried look as a horrible thought struck her. "Do you think Apocalypse is back already? I mean, I thought that Rogue and Mister Logan got rid of him permanently, but..."

"I don't know," Kurt said, shaking his head as he ran down the hall on all fours. "But we've better get moving, judging by ze Professor's tone. My costume's in my room, but I'll get changed and meet you vith ze others in ze War Room"

As he disappeared in a cloud of brimstone, Kitty shook her head in exasperation. "Why doesn't he, like, ever remember to leave his stuff down here? Save's him a 'port..."

Meanwhile, within the higher public levels of the mansion, Anne Marie "Rogue" Darkholme sat flush to the headboard of her bed within her room, her emerald green eyes narrowing as she studied each page of the book she was reading. Her auburn hair blew slightly from the wind coming from the open window merely feet away, and the single white stripe seemingly blew from side to side as she shivered slightly from the cold.

"_Why did ah leave that window open, anyway?" _She wondered absently, getting up and walking over to close it.

Just as she stopped at the window, she looked down to see a small glimpse of brown towards the surrounding forest outside before disappearing within the foliage. For just one instant, Rogue could see a figure behind one of the large trees.

The figure was tall and lean, a little over six feet in height, and looked about only a couple of years older than herself. He had a muscular and athletic build covered by a plain brown trench coat that was slightly armored and padded, and his dark brown hair was in a messy style. What really attracted her attention were his eyes, gorgeous orbs of onyx with what seemed like twin circular rubies sitting on top, almost hypnotizing.

Then, just as suddenly as the figure appeared, he vanished

Rogue smirked. Ever since she had been briefly kidnapped by Remy Lebeau, also known as the Acolyte Gambit, she had spotted him watching her at least once a week. Before she went back to the institute with the other X-Men, he had said that she would be fine and had people watching over her. She didn't think at first that he would be referring to himself.

"_I gotta admit, not as creepy as ah thought it would be..." _She thought with a grin.

"_My X-Men!" _A voice within her mind called. _"There's been an emergency! It is top priority that you prepare yourselves and meet me in the War Room immediately!"_

"_Show time..." _Rogue thought, reaching for her gloves

Robert "Iceman" Drake was walking down the hallway, hands stuffed in his pockets boorishly as he thought. At one time, it was a rare day when Bobby thought about _anything,_ but times had changed and he wasn't the care-free prankster that he used to be. He had been promoted to the X-Men, had been placed in charge as leader of the New Recruits, and had taken part in one of the most difficult battle that the both forces had ever been a part of. It was only natural that Bobby would develop new qualities, such as thinking things through before acting.

Bobby suddenly jumped as he heard a sudden *BAMF* and smelled the sudden stench of sulphur and brimstone that accompanied it. He only had seconds to dodge before the tumbling mass of blue fur that is Kurt Wagner, AKA Nightcrawler, nearly slammed into him and collapsed on the floor. Still blown back by the sheer force of the blow, Bobby soon joined him on the ground while clutching his stomach where Kurt had slammed into him.

"Damn it, Kurt!" Bobby cursed, making the blue furry mutant stop in his rush to glance at him.

"Sorry..." Kurt said, helping him up. "Ze professor summoned everyone to ze war room..."

"I know, I heard him, too..." Bobby said. "Still, we just fought Apocalypse. Don't you think you could chill just for a second?"

"Do you know me _at all, _mien Freund?" Kurt asked with a fanged grin. "I'm an energetic blue fuzzball!"

"Not everyone is as energetic as you, Elf..." Bobby said with a sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose with a thumb and forefinger.

"You okay, dude?" Kurt asked, patting his shoulder lightly. "I mean, you've been off lately, but _zis _is pretty brutal..."

"I'm fine..." Bobby said, shrugging. "I just have a lot of my mind, that's all..."

"You sure?" Kurt asked, taking a deep breath before continuing. "You know Jubilee wouldn't want to go, Bobby. Don't worry, she'll be back..."

"I hope so..." Bobby said with a sigh before breaking out a mischievous grin. "Besides, the _Nightcrawler_ should be worrying about his own love life, dontcha think?"

"Touché, Mister Drake" Kurt said, patting him on the back before bolting down the hall again. "It's good to see the old Bobby! I'll see you with ze others in the war room!"

"Right, the War Room..." Bobby said, continuing towards his room, admittedly at a faster pace.

Scott 'Cyclops' Summers ran down the hall within the lower levels of the Institute, breathing hard as he ran. He had been spending time at Lookout Point with his girlfriend, Jean Grey, before the Professor's summons told them to meet him in the War Room. It was no doubt urgent, considering the tone, so Jean decided to go on ahead and telekinetically fly back as he headed back himself using his car and started the X-Jet. Scott now threw the door to the War Room wide open, to be faced with the combined X-Men already sitting down around the round table looking at him strangely. The Professor was at the head of the table in front of a digital screen, along with Hank while Logan leaned against the wall and Storm sat at the side with the rest of the X-Men.

"Sorry..." He muttered, glancing at Jean to see her muffle a giggle with her hand before sitting down.

"How things change, eh, one-eye?" Bobby said, earning a high-five from Kurt and a whack in the arm from Rogue. Kitty just shook her head disapprovingly, but turning around to hide a smile.

"Good, we're all here..." The Professor said. "Now, Cerebro got a reading on another mutant named Sean Cassidy, located within the Irish city of Belfast. Short term, our mission is to travel to Belfast and recover him, so that we might enroll him here at the institute"

"One mutant, Professor?" Jean asked. "It's a little strange with so many surfacing now, isn't it? I mean, you did say this is top-priority."

"Yeah..." Kitty agreed, looking down at the table. "Not to mention he's not even in the States. We'd have to go out of our way to retrieve him, and for one guy, it seems like a waste of time..."

"You are correct, Jean, Kitty" Charles said, turning to Hank. "However, this mutant is a special case. Hank?"

Hank stepped forward, using a remote to activate a screen between himself and Charles that showed a sixteen year old boy with red hair and green eyes, as well as other charts and figures of information. "The speech center of Sean's brain seems to possess a unique organic mechanism that generates an unknown particle, which in turn interacts with ambient sound waves" Hank said. "The main ability he possesses as a result is a Quasi-Sonic voice that allows him to generate massive amounts of force from simply speaking, as well as the ability to manipulate existing sound waves mentally. His powers are still only partially developed, much like Scott's brother, Alex, but are still extremely destructive when not controlled properly."

"How destructive is 'extremely destructive'?" Logan asked, seemingly interested now.

Hank pressed another button on the remote, causing most of the students to gasp at what was on the screen.

There was a section of a city completely in ruins, enshrouded with smoke from several dozen fires scattered across it. Entire buildings were wiped clean with just a hint that they were there, while others were partially damaged, missing entire sections of themselves. The highest building couldn't be more than five stories high, curved and twisted by an unknown force, and all kinds of vehicles within were overturned in various positions. In short, the area looked like a nuclear warhead had devastated it.

"**-shocking turn of events earlier today as a massive explosion within the city of Belfast leveled several city blocks within, assumedly killing most of its residents! Though the remains of the local police force and Irish authorities are still unclear of the cause, they have determined that the blast was not caused by any known kind of detonation device, and that there were no missiles or other weapons that attacked before the explosion. Satellite Surveillance show several signs of struggling life within, but authorities are quarantining the area and roadblocks are being set up to prevent anyone being caught in the apparent blast radius in case of another detonatio-"**

Charles paused the image as Logan leaned over to look before letting out a long whistle.

"The kid did that by _speaking_?" Logan asked. "Wouldn't wanna get caught in _that_..."

"This is approximately eight blocks within the city of Belfast after Sean's powers first emerged" Charles said, fitting his fingers together. "I have used Cerebro to read the boy's current thoughts, and he seems to be terrified. From what I have determined, the boy's powers resurfaced prematurely after he was threatened by some thugs, the stress of which causing him to unleash a massive amount of energy with a Quasi-Sonic scream. He's currently unconscious, his body adapting to the shock of discharging so much energy at once, but a massive area covering several city blocks was destroyed from the sheer power he unleashed"

"How many people were caught in the explosion, exactly?" Bobby asked.

"The authorities are unclear" Hank said. "Sean's powers have emerged prematurely, and may still be growing without his knowledge as we speak. Initial estimations are sketchy, as they cannot search for survivors within the area yet, but they have put it to most of its population, at least a couple hundred people"

"Mein Gott..." Kurt said, yellow eyes wide open with shock. "Vhat vill zey do vith him? Zey aren't going to stand for one mutant leveling entire city blocks! Zey'll have to bring him to court, won't zey?"

"He's right..." Kitty said, glancing a side-long glance at her friend. "If one mutant wiped out that big an area, he'll be charged with involuntary mass murder at the very least. Are we going to keep him hidden away from outside, like Mister McCoy?"

"Luckily, the government has not yet declared mutants as within the same ancestral spectrum of normal human beings" Charles said. "This means that mutants are not yet necessarily legally subject to certain charges, especially considering the circumstance since Sean was not in control. If I can make the court aware of Sean's particularly destructive nature, as well as the relatively high likelihood that he could simply level any conventional prison he's held in, there is a good chance that I could take on the role of his legal guardian and enroll him here at the institute"

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Chuck?" Logan asked. "We don't really need the joint blown up again and its awful risky putting him in with the rest of the bunch..."

"I am aware of the risks, Logan" Charles said. "Despite the negative possibilities, we cannot allow a power like this to remain unchecked, either by being used by the government or by Magneto. I will not simply lock him away, either, if there is an alternative. While I've cleared up the legal issues regarding Hank, his appearance makes it impossible to go outside without an image inducer, which he refuses to wear. Sean is relatively normal in appearance, and thus has no reason to be hidden."

"Any next of kin?" Jean asked, leaning on the table with her elbows. "Family? Friends? _Anything?_"

"His father and sister were in the city while the explosion took place, and his mother apparently abandoned the family years before" Charles explained. "I have no brain patterns on the father, and his sister's seems to be gathering interference from some unknown particle. Despite the fact that Cerebro has only a partial reading on her, it's determined that she is also a mutant, though her powers haven't yet manifested"

"That's odd..." Hank said, scratching his chin with one hand. "Cerebro's never been blocked by anything short of Magneto's helmet, and it _definitely _hasn't ever picked up a completely dormant X-gene. It's possible that the unknown particles are a result of Sean's sonic manipulation and has somehow prevented certain frequencies of their brain waves from being fully-detected, and enhancing the detection of others…"

"Speaking of which, Prof... isn't he still able to let off energy?" Rogue pointed out. "Even if we _do_ get to the city and miraculously get the law on our side, how are we gunna get to 'em without gettin' fried?"

"If I can get close enough to send a telepathic message without being caught in the blast radius, I should be able to ensure that he does not and allow the rest of the X-Men to pick him up within the area's remains" Charles explained. "If we are fortunate, we can also recover the girl, and bring her here also..."

"There's always the risk that his powers are unstable" Hank pointed out to Charles. "If he does unleash another wave, it could be much bigger and Charles could be caught in the blast. We barely have an initial reading, and Sean's limits could go beyond devastating hundreds of miles, for all we know. Another is that Sean's powers will disrupt the brain waves that you emit when you try to make telepathic contact with him, unless you are relatively close…"

"Not to mention if the kid's on the move..." Logan said, drawing the room's eyes to him. "The blasts' diameter would be thrown off, and even a few meters off could get Chuck caught inside. Even_ I_ have doubts that I'd stand up to that kind of firepower nowadays, and it'll tear through anyone else…"

"Getting slow, Wolverine?" Bobby said with a chuckle, accompanied by a fearful gulp as Logan threateningly unsheathed his claws with an audible SNIKT.

"Watch your tone, Icicle!" Logan almost growled, causing Bobby's eyes to widen before he sunk down into his chair protectively. "Trust me – I've been caught in a few explosions before, and one like that isn't pretty, especially if the source is mobile.

"We don't have many options..."Charles said. "Ororo and Hank should be able to handle taking care of the New Recruits, while the rest of us travel to Belfast. There'll no doubt be a police and military presence around the blast area, so we shall set up there before deciding our next steps on how to approach Sean. Cyclops?"

"The Blackbird's already warmed up and ready to go, Professor..." Scott said. "I took care of it, before heading down here. We can be at Belfast in no time, considering the distance..."

"Excellent" Charles said, using the controls on his wheelchair to move with the X-Men following him. "Scott, Logan, meet us at the Blackbird and plot the co-ordinates for Belfast. Hank, see if you can develop some kind of anti-body for Sean's powers, something to help him focus it in more constructive ways. I assume you have enough data to successfully inhibit his powers, so that it'll be ready when we return?"

"Yes, Charles, I'll see what I can do" Hank said. "It'll be tricky containing energy like this, but I should have it ready by the time you recover him and the girl."

"Good" Charles said. "Ororo, go up to the higher levels and make sure the New Recruits are taken care of. We leave within the hour."

"Yes, Professor…" Ororo said, moving to depart.

"Oh, and one more thing…" Charles said with a warm smile, halting her. "I've noticed one particularly eager member of our student body being excluded on missions, and we _will _need someone to emotionally connect in regards to the girl. Someone her age, who will be able to relate to what's she's going through…"

"I see…" Ororo said with a smirk, already knowing where the conversation was leading. "Who do you have in mind?"

Sean stirred, his deep green eyes opening hazily. The first thing he saw was a clear, blue sky, processing few clouds and the sun clearly seen ahead. He blinked once, getting used to the sudden light when an explosion several feet to the right of him sent him sprawling. Turing, he realized that he was on one of the streets that he sometimes took home from school, except that most everything surrounding it was in ruins. Entire buildings were crooked and jagged, all knocked askew. A jagged ripping through the asphalt street he was lying on ran out from him outward, heading away towards the buildings surrounding him. He realized that he was currently lying in a small crater, not very deep and easy to climb out of.

"_What happened?" _He asked himself. _"It looks like a Nuke went off, but it seems that the brunt of it was centered around me...yet, I survived it without a scratch..."_

"Wow..." Sean said, his voice barely audible.

Sean's eyes suddenly began to glow a bright electrical green as one small shockwave seemed to emanate from that single syllable, launching straight ahead and wiping out a small surviving building in front of him like it was nothing at all. The street in front of him was ripped from the ground and tossed in the air, pieces of it striking around himself. Sean backed away and stumbled to the ground, breathing heavily before noticing that his breaths were having a similar effect on the ground he was standing on, punching small craters into the compacted dirt.

"_It's me!" _Sean realized. _"I caused this! Somehow, my voice caused the explosion! But...how?"_

Sean stood up, concentrating on breathing through his nose so as to not damage anything else. He flinched as his leg bumped into a piece of rubble, and looked down to see a body, almost completely incinerated by the energy Sean let off. The skin of him seemed to melt off, revealing fractured pieces of bone underneath.

"_It's one of the thugs who jumped me..." _Sean realized sadly. _"Poor guy, he didn't deserve to die like that..."_

Sean was distracted by his leg bumping into another piece of rubble

"_Perfect..." _Sean thought with a groan. _"I find out I can bring down entire buildings with a whisper, wipe out entire city blocks, and then get battered and bruised in the aftermath! At least I can't have detention now..."_

Limping away, Sean kept his eyes set on the now-ruined city of Belfast

"_Here we go..." _He thought grimly, before his eyes widened in realization and he broke out into a full-on run. _"Oh, son of a...Terry!"_


End file.
